Iraq War a 'Teachable Moment'

Psychiatrist Stephen Cozza, M.D., a retired U.S. Army colonel, tells APA Trustees that combat affects every member of the military emotionally and mentally, and thus the sequelae of the war in iraq provide “teachable moments” for APA. Cozza, associate director of the Center for Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine, urged APA to train its members to assess trauma associated with combat exposure, encourage them to develop competency in identifying combat-related disorders, encourage them to do pro bono work with families whose members are in combat, and educate them in “unique factors” that characterize military culture to better treat patients affected by their or their loved one's combat experience.